Friday's Hunt Featuring Letter "F"

Had an idea of what I was going to do for letter "F" then saw this on Facebook!  I had to share it . . . 

                                                                  Source
This story is in Grit magazine.  This Farm to Table dinner party is to raise money for the local Farmers 

Favorite Photo featuring Faithful Friends and a Faithful God.
Yesterday my grandson had surgery.  One of my daughters friends from church owns a local Farmers Market.  They brought a care package. 
updated:  My daughter work up yesterday with a cold and sore throat. She found this on her porch . . . 


Negative Space . . . 
This prompt was a little hard for me.  Here's what I came up with

My mantle with nothing on it.  I've been planning a post sharing all the areas I normally decorate minus all the Christmas decorations. 
The mantle, the glass shelves, the breakfast bar etc.  This is a sneak preview.  heh

And then I found this I wanted to add.  I wrote a post yesterday for Good Fences this one would have been perfect for that post . . . 



Click here to read my Good Fences post. 

Linking this Letter "F" post with Friday's Hunt at Eden Farms

Alphabet Thursday--Hole In The Wall--Wyoming

Welcome back to my America The Beautiful tour.  Each week I am linking with Jenny for Alphabet Thursday and writing a post about a remote or little known beauty of America.
Today I am sharing Hole in the wall in Wyoming . . .(Part One)

                                                               Source

In Southwest Johnson County and extending into Natrona County is an escarpment of red sandstone known as the "Red Wall." In fifty miles, it is broken only by one deep vee-shaped canyon which at the far end narrows into a funnel shape and provides the only access fron the east to a verdant valley. From the north, access could be obtained through the Bar C Draw to Buffalo Creek. Both the valley, lying between the Red Wall and the Big Horn Mountains to the west, and the canyon are called the "Hole in the Wall." 

Here's the information from the Bureau of Landmanagement.


The Hole-in-the-Wall is approximately 40 miles southwest of Kaycee, Wyoming (map). It's a colorful and scenic red sandstone escarpment that is rich in legend of outlaw activity in the late 1800s, most notably Butch Cassidy and the Wild Bunch Gang. The "hole" is a gap in the Red Wall that, legend has it, was used secretly by outlaws to move horses and cattle from the area. The area is primitive in nature, with no services. Visitors should be skilled in cross-country travel and take adequate water, food, and fuel. Please pack trash from the area, and respect private property owners who are working with the BLM to make this an enjoyable recreation opportunity.

They aren't kiddin' it is primitive!

                                       Travel on this road is only advisable during dry conditions
                                                          with a high clearance vehicle.                                                                                                         Please stay on the marked roads and trails.


     
                Source
The area was (and still is) isolated taking about a day’s journey by horseback from any semblance of civilization. It is a steep climb to the top of the Wall, but overlooking the country below it is no wonder this location was chosen. With sweeping 360 views the pass was well situated to spot approaching lawmen and the narrowness of the approach made it easy to defend. The grassy plateau at the top and creek bed of the canyon below made it a good spot to graze all the rustled cattle.

The Willow Creek Ranch offers a complete ranching experience.  And horseback adventures to see 
Hole In The Wall.

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And hunting expeditions
   

We were more interested in the history surrounding the area.


 

Of all the Wild Bunch members Etta Place is the most mysterious. She is one of the Wild West’s most legendary women. Beautiful and wild she is reported to have been mistress to both Butch Cassidy and Sundance. Eyewitnesses maintain she was the second woman to ride into Robber’s Roost in the winter of 1897. She was allegedly 20 years old at the time, strikingly beautiful, an excellent horsewoman, and outstanding rifle shot, Etta became Sundance’s primary love interest.

Etta was reportedly a refined, highly educated woman of Eastern birth and rearing. She’s also alleged to have been a prostitute from Texas. Others claim she was a schoolteacher from Denver, Colorado with music as her primary discipline. Even her relationship(s) with Butch and Sundance is a mystery. It’s been said she was Butch’s mistress then Sundance took an interest and she went with him. There are even rumors the three lived as a ménage a’trois. Even her name has been debated as five different women who road with the Wild Bunch used the alias Etta Place.

We do know, Etta traveled to Argentina and Bolivia with Sundance and Butch returning to the United States three times during their time in South America. After returning to the United States in 1908 with Sundance, where he left her in Denver, Etta Place was never heard from again. Many claimed to be her, or claimed to be her son or daughter with Butch, but nothing was ever verified. But once Butch and Sundance were run to ground in South America Etta disappeared, as well.

One of The Cowboys favorite movies is Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. 

        

So traveling the long and isolated road to see Hole in The Wall was fun for him.  A check off his bucket list. 

Although it is a primitive place it is a fun place to visit.   Check back to read part two for more about our experience at Hole In The Wall.

Linking with Jenny for Alphabet Thursday.

Alphabet Thursday F is for Festus Missouri

America the Beautiful . . . there are some amazing out of  the way places that make America beautiful.
Join me in Touring Festus, Missouri.                                
We became acquainted with this little town when we lived about an hour away in Potosi, Mo.  We drove through Festus on our way to a bigger city for shopping.


               
Quiet small town living . . .
                                           
         Except on Friday nights . . . 
When we lived there Festus was the place to go and cruise . . .

https://youtu.be/5ZYnHnkVYk8

I couldn't help but think  American Graffiti.  I kept expecting see Ronny Howard.  Wishin' to see
Harrison Ford. hehe.

Now a days they have organized events.  Kinda of takes away from the charm.

They have a beautiful city park for picnics and fun in the sun . . .
 It's a nice lush green area.  But humid.  When we arrived in the area(Postic,Mo) it was one of the most humid days of the years.  I thought I had moved to Houston.


A great place for photos.




    


All things aren't always fun and easy in Festus . . . 

                                           Source
The 1993 flood.   Homes, businesses, and personal property were all destroyed by the high flood levels. A total of 534 counties in nine states were declared for federal disaster aid. As a result of the floods, 168,340 people registered for federal assistance. 
    

                                                                           

There are some interesting places to live in Festus . . .


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This is an interesting house with an interesting history.  The house is built in a cave.  Before it became a private residence it was a concert venue . . .


 and a roller skating rink . . .

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Off the beaten path America does have some Beautiful places to visit.

Linking with Jenny for Alphabet Thursday. Click Here.

                               Happy Trails
                                                                                                   
                                   
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Join me next week for a tour featuring these gentle giants for Letter G.

Auction Part 2 Deadwood

Welcome to part two of my new series The Auction Vacation.  You can read part one here.  We read about an auction in Rapid City and decided to make a vacation of it.  
Today so I can join Jenny at Alphabet Thursday I'm sharing about a fun part of the trip in Deadwood, South Dakota.
For a little background information our family is a big fan of the movie Dances with Wolves (letter D) so when we realized where the auction was we were excited to visit some of the attractions around the area.
Deadwood is a historic town with a colorful past it was a gold rush town in the 1800’s.    
Deadwood, being a typical gold camp, was inhabited by entrepreneurs, fortune seekers and those who just wanted to take advantage of the money that was floating around.Wild Bill Hickok was one of these fortune hunters. He came to Deadwood in June of 1876 and spent the next six weeks gambling. On August 2, 1876, he was shot in the back of the head by Jack McCall at the No. 10 Saloon.    
The casinos are all located on the Main Street where you can take your chances at the slot machines or the card tables. Most of the casinos have restaurants that feature prime rib and buffalo on the menus or offer reasonably priced buffets.

The Midnight Star is just one of the gaming houses in town. This is what drew us to Deadwood

                              
 Since this was a family vacation we didn't try our hand at the gaming tables.  But we had dinner
at the restaurant called Jake's. . .

We were told by the waiter that Kevin was in town but he didn't happen by while we were there. LOL.
I bet that's what they tell everyone.  We enjoyed a very nice dinner.  Steaks for the adults and Pasta for the kids.
The Midnight Star is filled with memorabilia . . .
 
Deadwood has lots of places to stay.  If possible we like to stay in historic hotels or B&B's.  Deadwood
has a lot to offer.  We chose to stay a night  at the historic Bullock Hotel.
      
The second night we stayed at the Martin Mason Hotel
 
There are some beautiful historic buildings in Deadwood . . .


 


Besides trying your luck at one of the casinos, you can visit Mount Moriah Cemetery, also known as Boot Hill, where Wild Bill Hickok and Calamity Jane are buried. Take a city tour and learn all about the history of this frontier town and its other colorful inhabitants.



The Adams museum was an interesting place to visit.

   
In August Deadwood is a popular motorcyle enthusiast the Sturgis rally.

Deadwood has the look and feel of a frontier town.  Walking down Main Street you can almost see what
it was like in the wild west during the gold rush.

We enjoyed our trip to Rapid City and the surrounding areas.

Our dream is to return to the area with our kids and the grandchildren.  Maybe a Christmas trip?

 

For more beautiful photos of Deadwood and surrounding areas 

visit Boonblogger.com I intentionally left this photo large so you could enjoy the fabulous photo.

Linking with Jenny for Alphabet Thursday. Click Here.

Linking with Sally for Blue Monday.  Click Here.

                   Happy Trails